The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa in partnership with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, West African Health Organization, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UK Health Security Agency, Robert Koch Institute and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation today kicked off the region’s largest public health emergency operation centre (PHEOC) simulation exercise to step up readiness to respond to public health emergencies, with 36 countries taking part in the two-day functional exercise.